Nearly 50% of Canadians experience ‘post-vacation blues’: poll

Is there anything worse than the sound of your alarm after a week away? No?

The nearly half of Canadians who suffer from post-vacation blues certainly seem to think that, a survey from travel website KAYAK suggests.

The stress of that daily grind leads 48 per cent of Canadians to worry about “re-entering reality” while they’re still on vacation, Tuesday’s study found.

“There’s a huge contrast between the demands and responsibilities of day-to-day life and vacation which is why so many people, myself included, can experience anxiety prior to the actual conclusion of an adventure,” said Kulsum Khan, a registered social worker and therapist.

But although coming home might always be a bit of a let down from your (hopefully tropical) vacation, KAYAK thinks some of that stress can be alleviated.

The survey found 22 per cent of Canadians already clean before going on holiday, but for those that don’t, KAYAK recommends starting.

If you have extra days off, KAYAK says to try and fly back a few days early so you have time to decompress, like 31 per cent of travellers already do.

Those extra days prove to be great for the 27 per cent of people who don’t schedule things the first days back, as well as the 20 per cent who sleep in longer than usual.

KAYAK found that 25 per cent of Canadians dread coming back to an empty fridge and recommends either a grocery delivery service or a meal kit service to avoid the store for the first few days.

A full 41 per cent told KAYAK that laundry is the worst post-vacation chore, but also one that can be alleviated by booking a laundry service to pick up your clothes and bring them back, folded and clean.

None of these helping? There’s nothing to cure post-vacation blues like pre-vacation excitement: KAYAK said 12 per cent of people start looking for new destinations as soon as they get home.